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Cherry tree, superstitions & protections, Tea, vinegar, landscaping

Cherry blossom tea expresses spring even in winter!

Spring is here and cherry buds are everywhere (as of March 27, 2025 the first cherry blossoms have appeared in Tokyo and Kyushu; again about 2 weeks before the normal of the 1980s and 1990s!). Pretty much wherever you go in the next month you can see hanami in its various stages: buds, blossom, petals blowing in the wind and covering the ground.

Kyoto Prefecture's illustrious Rinzai sect temple of Joshokoji (literally Ever Bright Imperial Temple) is famous for its ancient cherry tree, super ancient really. Its famous 400-year-old cherry tree has been officially designated a protected natural monument. This tree blooms later that most cherry trees (used to be late April; now you can expect to see blossoms in mid-April!).

The Emperor Kogen, who was an emperor in name only, escaped from a stifling court existence and came to this temple in 1362 to become a monk. The former emperor stayed here for the rest of his life, dying a quiet and anonymous death. The monks buried his remains on the slopes behind the temple.

In 1579, warlord Akechi Mitsuhide planned to build a castle at Shuzan. He plundered the treasures of the temple and burned it to the ground. The head monk managed to escape with the articles of the former emperor. They were later returned to the site, where they remain to this day.

After the fire, Emperor Go-Suio offered the temple his protection. In later years when the Imperial House had fallen on hard times, the Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada took over this role.

Mindful of its historic significance and longstanding relationship with the Imperial Household, the present-day monks of Joshokoji put a great deal of effort into the temple's upkeep and the ancient cherry tree seems to approve . . .

Joshokoji is located in Shuzan about 25 kilometers northwest of Kyoto.

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Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

Kyoto superstitions, mysteries, and protection talismans

In ancient times, Kyoto was charged with all kinds of superstitious beliefs. And even today many people continue to arrange the special occasions of their life around superstitious practices, especially weddings and moving days. Today, very few of the places associated with these mysterious places and people remain. However, a few mysterious things continue to live on in the memory and other ways too!

Abeno Seimei: Kyoto’s first imperial palace was built right in the center of the Heian capital (794). In those days, special people, called onmyo-ji, told and predicted fortunes. Many onmyo-ji worked for the emperor. The most famous onmyo-ji of all time was Abeno Seimei. He served the emperor and the Fujiwara family in the early part of the Heian period (794-1185). In addition to telling fortunes, he also held special prayers and was known as a talented astronomer. He lived near Ichijo-modori bridge (modori means to return in Japanese), a famous place that is also known as ‘the demon’s gate’ (because it was located at the northeast corner of the original imperial palace compound; the Chinese believed that danger always came from the northeast). Abeno Seimi was made to live in this place to protect the city. Today, brides and funeral cars never pass the bridge because of the legendary belief that the bridge will send them back where they came from. During WW I and II, people said goodbye to soldiers here in order to gaurantee that they would return safely. Seimei Shrine is located north of Horikawa Nakadachiuri, to get there take bus #9, get off at Ichijo-modoribashi. Tel: 441-6460.

Monoyoshi: the area around Gojo street, east of the Kamogawa River, used to be a very mysterious part of Kyoto. In the Edo period (1600-1868), many monoyoshi, people who suffered from leprosy and other kinds of disfiguring, generally horrible, diseases, lived here. On festival days and other special occasions, monoyoshi went around the city with a stick in their left hand and a mesh basket on their back, begging for food, medicine, etc. People were unusually generous with the monoyoshi for fear of divine retribution.

Kiyomizu-zaka Hinin: the eastern edge of Kyoto, especially around Kiyomizu Temple, has many large cemeteries that have been there for centuries. This area was once home to a class of people, Kiyomizu-zaka Hinin, who were believed to have special purification powers related to funeral rituals. Many say that certain parts of the area is still charged with a special energy.

Omikuji & omamori good luck charms for protection!

The Japanese characters for good and bad luck are interesting and easy to remember. First you imagine a rice pot. If you are lucky, then the pot is full of rice and closed with a lid, making the character for good luck. If, on the other hand, you are unlucky, then there is no rice in your pot, giving you the character for bad luck.

The white pieces of paper that you see tied to tree branches in Shinto shrines all contain the unlucky character and have been left at the shrine in the hope that the deity enshrined there will change the luck to good.

These pieces of paper are called omikuji and you get them like this: a numbered strip of bamboo is drawn at random from a cylindrical container with a small hole in one end. Then, for a nominal charge of about ¥100, the strip is exchanged for an omikuji. The good luck omikuji are taken home and treasured, but as bad luck is contagious, the ones informing people that they have no rice in their pots are left behind.

The most common souvenir for people to buy at a shrine is a lucky charm called an omamori which usually resembles a baggage tag. Omamori contain printed prayers which have been consecrated before the gods by the priests who made them. They are generally used to ward off evil, but now can be bought for many different purposes, ranging from easy childbirth to traffic safety.

The omamori at Shoko-in, popularly known as the Traffic Safety Monkey Temple, have an interesting little tale (no pun intended) attached to them. In the temple, there is a statue of a monkey which used to pick persimmons and walnuts for the priest who lived there. One day a hunter shot the monkey and the priest found it, nursed it back to health, and gave it an omamori to protect it. When the other monkeys in the vicinity saw the omamori, they came to get one, too. When the hunter saw them, he gave up shooting monkeys.

Some shrines have found modern adaptations of omamori to be highly lucrative. Take a look at the backs of cars in Kyoto and it won't be long before you see a road safety sticker from the Tanukidani (Racoon-Dog Valley) Fudo-in Temple. These stickers cost Yen 300, but the blessing that goes with them costs from Yen 5,000 for a week to Yen 50,000 for a year.

The simplest things in the Way of Tea

There are few Japanese historical periods as formative and colorful as the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603). Within this explosive 30-year period, Japan passed from a feudal period of civil warfare and cultural stagnation into an era of political unity and cultural genius.

The 4 most important figures from that time are undoubtedly Japan's three 16th century military geniuses — Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598), Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616) — and Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591).

In the cultural realm, Sen no Rikyu's influence as a pioneer and genius for recognizing the beauty in the natural materials native to Japan, many of which were part of the very fabric of Japanese life — earthen walls, tatami, bamboo — easily make him one of Japan's most important historical figures.

The remarkable influence of his aesthetic philosophy and vision can be found in a great many classical Japanese design concepts, nearly all of which play an important role in the sublime Japanese tea ceremony he established widely in his lifetime. Rikyu's Way of Tea stands as a refined, yet simple, ritual of perfection that incorporates nearly the entire body of Japanese aesthetics.

At its highest levels the Japanese tea ceremony becomes a spiritual act grounded in sincerity, which reaches out with dignified stillness to calm and pacify the heart and mind. Unquestionably, the Way of Tea is a way to personal enlightenment.

The essence of Rikyu's philosophy regarding the Japanese tea ceremony is expressed clearly in his 7 tenets:

1. Flowers should evoke the naturalness of the fields.

2. The charcoal should be placed such that the water boils.

3. There should be a feeling of coolness in summer.

4. And a feeling of warmth in winter.

5. Everything should be ready in advance.

6. Prepare for rain, just in case.

7. Consider harmony in the choice of your guests.

Rikyu's legacy lives on today in the three tea schools founded by his great grandsons more than 340 years ago: Omote Senke (the front house), Mushakoji Senke (the middle house), and Urasenke (the rear house). Today, with their hundreds of thousands of students, these three schools continue to play a vital role in traditional Japanese culture.

Basic Tea Ceremony Etiquette

When you take part in a tea ceremony, first bow (while seated) and then lift the chawan (tea bowl) set before you with your right hand, and place it on the palm of your left hand. Second, rotate the chawan clockwise 180 degrees with the right hand in three separate movements. Then, after a short pause, drink the tea in two or three stages. Third, after drinking the tea, wipe the part of the chawan you touched with your lips with your right hand and rotate the chawan counterclockwise 180 degrees, and return it to the host. If you are served a sweet during the tea ceremony, it will always be before you are served the tea. When in doubt, observe those around you, or behave as calmly and dignified as you can and do what comes natural to you. In the end, there are no fixed rules in the tea ceremony.

Japanese rice vinegar is the best!

In Japan, the representative type of vinegar, made from rice, is known as ‘su’. Rice vinegar is indispensable for the making of sushi. In fact, it is impossible to talk about Japanese food without mentioning vinegar. Ancient Kyoto, more than any other city in Japan, is where Japanese tradition and culture, both material and spiritual, are still quite alive. Vinegar, is one of these living traditions.

Kyoto’s vinegars are popularly known as ‘Kyozu,’ and amongst the several locally produced brands, Murayama Zozu’s Chidorisu vinegar has an especially high reputation. Its unique fullness and depth of taste, unchanged for over 250 years, are absolutely indispensable for providing that subtle hidden flavor to ‘Kyoryori,’ (traditional Kyoto cuisine) which has become synonymous with fine Japanese food. Chidorisu vinegar has continued through the years, with people who love the special taste of traditional Kyoto vinegar. The company produces over one million liters of high quality vinegar a year!

Large scale Japanese vinegar production dates back to the Muromachi period ( 1333-1576). Before that time vinegar, like sake, was available only to the aristocracy. Beginning in the Genroku era (1688-1704) vinegar came into wide use to fix the color in dyed kimono fabric. And so there were a lot of vinegar makers at that time. This process is no longer carried out with vinegar and so today the only vinegar makers surviving in Kyoto are the ones making vinegar as a flavoring ingredient for food.

Fundamentally the production process is the same, however there are regional differences. For example, Kagoshima in Fukushima Prefecture produces its vinegar directly from genmai (unprocessed rice) to which they add a fermentation agent. This mixture is then fermented into amazake (sweet rice wine) and then fermented further until it become vinegar. In Kyoto, vinegar is produced through a series of separate stages. First, normal white rice is fermented into amazake or sweet sake. Then, alcohol content of the mixture is increased. Finally, an acetic acid producing bacteria is added and the mixture ferments further until it becomes vinegar. Other makers produce vinegar from sake lees (sediment) which has been left standing for up to three years.

For visitors interested in visiting Murayama Zosu’s factory, tours can be arranged (an interpreter should accompany visitors not fluent in Japanese). For more information on arranging a tour or buying some great vinegar (their mustard-like vinegar miso (fermented soy bean paste) is highly recommended) telephone the company on 761-3151. Their ancient factory is centrally located on the south side of Sanjo just west of Higashioji.

The art of Zoen or Japanese landscaping

The basic techniques that are used for creating and maintaining traditional Japanese gardens were first developed during the Heian period in Kyoto, which has an ideal climate for growing garden trees, a high concentration of special rocks and sand as well as an abundant water supply. At first gardening was an exclusive art practiced by priests, the aristocracy and warriors. The art spread to the merchant class, in the form of "tsubo-niwa," during the latter half of the 16th century. The "tsubo-niwa" gardens of Kyoto were influenced by the tea ceremony. Built between homes, they serve to improve lighting and air circulation.

The various elements of a garden, including trees, stones, grasses, sand and moss, all have distinctive meaning as symbols, etc. The delicate balance of these elements is determined by considering the light and soil conditions. Gardens are then planned and laid out on paper to visual perspective and elevation. The first step in garden design is building the foundation to provide drainage so that the roots of trees and plants do not rot. At this time, ditches for such underground facilities as electrical equipment and water supply systems are also excavated. After completing the foundation work, the garden rocks, trees and shrubs, and related sodding are positioned according to the design plan. Lastly, decorative moss, other plants, and gravel are placed or spread out over designated areas.

The Kyoto Prefectural Landscape Gardening Cooperative Association

The Kyoto Prefectural Landscape Gardening Cooperative Association, with 360 members (individuals and companies), has been active in preserving Kyoto gardens and transmitting landscaping skills and knowledge to new generations for nearly 100 years. Over the past twenty or thirty years, Japan's traditional landscape gardening industry has suffered a severe downturn in business, and the total number of new gardens handled by association members has been steadily decreasing. Today, more than half of an average Japanese gardener's work involves maintenance. Gardens take a considerable amount of time to mature and once a garden has reached maturity it requires special skills to maintain it according to its original design.

Until only quite recently, the special skills of Japanese landscaping were passed on from generation to generation. Today, the number of garden businesses is decreasing. To keep Japan's age-old gardening skills alive, the Association has set up a special one-year intensive gardening school to train apprentices. Naturally, Kyoto is the perfect place to study this art; the city is home to most of Japan's most famous gardens.

Japanese landscape gardens have become very popular internationally. The Association has completed a large-scale garden, modelled on the famous garden at Daigo Temple's Sanpo-in, in Kyoto's sister city in Mexico, Guadalajara. Employing Mexican workers and under greatly different climatic conditions, the project took nearly two years. The Association also created a Japanese garden for a private residence belonging to Prince Charles (now King Charles), in England. As a gift of friendship between the US and Japan, a number of young gardeners in the Association were employed to build a garden in Oklahoma. The Association is also active in working with the international Japan Garden Society, which visits Kyoto annually.

Content by Japan travel specialist & designer Ian Martin Ropke, founder & owner of Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT, est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with all of YJPT's Japan private tour clients and have a great team behind me. I promote YJPT through this content and only advertise at www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip to save time & have a better time. Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search) is also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!